Download FOI 2013/250 You requested the following information: 1. What is

369 Fulham Road
London
SW10 9NH
20 August 2013
Our Ref: FOI 2013/250
You requested the following information:
1.
What is the annual total catering budget for patient food in your Trust (in £s)?
2.
How much does your Trust spend on ingredients (i.e. cost of food ingredients only
and not other catering costs e.g. labour, equipment and management costs) for
each patient per day.
3.
For food served to patients, how much does your Trust spend each year on:
a. Meat
b. Milk
c. Fruit & Vegetables
4.
For food served to patients, how much does your Trust spend each year on:
a. Meat which is certified to meet Assured Food Standards or LEAF marque
standard, i.e. has a Red Tractor or LEAF logo on it?
b. Milk which is certified to meet Assured Food Standards or LEAF marque
standard, i.e. has a Red Tractor or LEAF logo on it?
c. Fruit and Vegetables which is certified to meet Assured Food Standards or LEAF
marque standard, i.e. has a Red Tractor or LEAF logo on it?
5.
For food served to patients, how much does your Trust spend each year on tea
and coffee?
6.
For food served to patients, how much does your Trust spend each year on tea and
coffee which is certified to meet Fairtrade standards (i.e. has a Fairtrade logo on it) or
Rainforest Alliance standards (i.e. has a Rainforest Alliance logo on it)?
7.
For food served to patients, how much does your Trust spend each year on fish?
8.
For food served to patients, how much does your Trust spend each year on fish which is
certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (i.e. has a Marine Stewardship Council
(MSC) logo on it)?
9.
How many of the hospitals managed by your Trust require patient food to meet the
British Dietetic Association’s ‘The Nutrition and Hydration Digest’ (Commonly known as
Digest)?
The Trust response is as follows:
1. The Trust’s Hospital Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) Data is readily
accessible since it has been already in public domain such as NHS information Centre
for Health and Social Care via Government Open Data Project. Therefore, the Trust
applies the section 21(1) of the FOI Act. Section 21(1) states that “Information which is
reasonably accessible to the applicant is exempt information”. However the Trust needs
to assist you to get the information easily according to Section 16(1) of the FOI Act.
Section 16 (1) states that “It shall be the duty of a public authority to provide advice and
assistance, so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do
so, to persons who propose to make, or have made, requests for information to it.
The Trust can provide the link as below:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/eric-annual-returns%402013-06-19T01%3A11%3A56.613335
2. Although the Trust holds the information, the catering for patient food is outsourced to
ISS Healthcare. This information becomes commercial interest and trade secret of that
company. Therefore the Trust exercises section 43 of the FOI Act.Section 43 states that
(1) Information is exempt information if it constitutes a trade secret
(2) Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would
be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public
authority holding it).
(3) The duty to confirm or deny does not arise if, or to the extent that, compliance
with section 1(1) (a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice the interests mentioned
in subsection (2).
3.
Exact figures are not available but generally the split on expenditure would be:
Conventional Service
Meat
32%
Milk & Dairy Products
15%
Fruit & Vegetables
13%
Fish
10%
Dry Provisions
25%
Others
5%
Delivered Meal Service Single Portions
Meat & Fish*
35%
Milk & Dairy Products
15%
Fruit & Vegetables*
35%
Dry Provisions
10%
Others
Delivered Meal Service Bulk Portions
5%
Meat & Fish*
35%
Milk & Dairy Products
15%
Fruit & Vegetables*
35%
Dry Provisions
10%
Others
5%
This Hospital / Trust operate a delivered meal service where the dishes are provided ready
prepared, therefore it is not possible to provide a meaningful breakdown between meat,
vegetables or other items including fish, etc.
The catering services at this hospital are provided by ISS Facility Services Healthcare who
operates a principle of authorised suppliers for all their products, including the supply of
ready prepared foods. Any supplier for prepared foods need to provide the correct
documentation and pass nationally accredited hygiene and quality checks prior to be
admitted to this list, which includes companies such as:
3663 – BFS Group Ltd
Anglia Crown
Apetito
Chicken Joes Ltd
Maple Fine Foods
The Punjab Kitchen Ltd
4.
Exact figures are not available but ISS is committed to developing their support of the
Red Tractor Farm Assurance Scheme. Whilst ISS hold a number of Gold, Silver and
Bronze certificates in other parts of their business the first trial site within the NHS has
only just commenced.
5.
Exact figures for expenditure on tea and coffee just for patients are not readily
available.
6. As above, exact figures for expenditure on tea and coffee just for patients are not
readily available but ISS, and their Supplier 3663 – BFS Group Ltd are strong supporters
of the Fairtrade standards, together helping support a school in Africa by using Unilever
Fairtrade products, among other projects.
7. Please see response to Question 3.
8. Exact figures are not available but, as with the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Scheme, ISS
is committed to developing their support of the Marine Stewardship Council, indeed it
was the first catering provider within the NHS to adopt the scheme for all their patient
menus.
9. As ISS’ Head of Nutrition and Dietetics was a main contributor to ‘the Digest’, the
company expects all their client hospitals to be adopting the principles put forward by
the BDA.